[madmulligan]

The main advantage of the eCVT is the ability to seamlessly combine the power from two motor-generator units and an ICE (as in the Prius) while holding the ICE in the RPM range you want it. Here, there is only one electric motor and keeping it at a certain RPM range (other than below it's max) isn't really important. While a CVT will get you smooth ratio changes, you are still constrained by a minimum and maximum gear ratio, a range which is relatively small compared to this kind of two speed (in this case you can have two gear ratios that are super far apart, as an electric motor makes the same torque regardless of the RPM, unlike an ICE, where you want your gear ratios close to help stay in the powerband). As for CVT's being universally hated in performance circles, they're only universally hated by the same kind of people that hate flappy paddle dual clutch transmissions, i.e people who don't care or know what is actually faster, more reliable, and more efficient in different use cases, but only care about a clutch and an H-pattern shifter.

[mywittyname]

> and keeping it at a certain RPM range (other than below it's max) isn't really important.

Yeah it is, because electric motors have RPM bands where they are most efficient. The whole point of a adding a two-speed transmission in the first place was to increase efficiency, range, and top speed. If they managed a 5% improvement with a two-speed, I'm betting they could at least double that with an eCVT.